CIF Open Division state final: St. John Bosco has lived up to expectations

The St. John Bosco High football team has celebrated many firsts this season.

Earlier this month, the Braves captured their first section championship, winning the CIF Southern Section's Pac-5 title over Mater Dei-Santa Ana.

Last week, they topped Centennial-Corona 70-49 in a Southern California regional final to reach the state bowl series for the first time.

But this is hardly a Cinderella story for Bosco, which plays De La Salle in the Open Division state final. Kickoff is 8 p.m. Saturday at the StubHub Center in Carson.

Bosco, an 800-student Catholic school located in the city of Bellflower, is loaded with Division I talent, features incredible size on the offensive and defensive lines, and has been one of the country's top-ranked teams all season.

They were expected to be in this position.

With top recruits like Damien Mama, Jaleel Wadood and Josh Rosen leading the way, Bosco (15-0) has lived up to its top-five national ranking, plowing through the best teams in Southern California to earn a shot at the Spartans (14-0).

"I think our kids have done a pretty good job of handling (the pressure)," Bosco coach Jason Negro said. "They're a confident group but the biggest thing is they're just competitors. It's not hard to get them to practice, it's not hard to get them to work hard."

The Braves are ranked No. 5 by USA Today, No. 3 in the MaxPreps.com writer's poll and No. 1 in the website's computer rankings.

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Rosen, the Braves' quarterback is considered one of the top junior signal-callers in the nation and has passed for over 3,000 yards. He has a pair of standout receivers to throw to in Shay Fields (USC commit with over 1,500 receiving yards) and Wadood (UCLA-bound senior, 1,100 receiving yards, 18 TDs).

The Braves can also run the ball with sophomore Sean McGrew, who had a breakout game in the SoCal regional final, rushing for 367 yards and scoring seven touchdowns. He has close to 2,000 rushing yards on the season.

But Negro said his team's biggest strength is its play in the trenches. Mama (6-foot-5, 353 pounds) leads an offensive line that average over 300 pounds. Even some of the Braves' backups push 300.

The defensive lines features USC-bound Malik Dorton.

And everyone has managed to stay on the field.

"The biggest thing has been the health of our team," Negro said. "This is an incredible grind. This is our 18th straight week of practice and we've stayed healthy."

But one thing the Braves don't have experience playing for a state championship. De La Salle has been in a bowl game every year since they began in 2006 and is going for a fifth straight Open Division state championship.

"We'll have to play a disciplined brand of football and hopefully the kids are up for the challenge," Negro said.